Our Work

At a key moment in Hamlet’s duel with Laertes, Gertrude cries out that Hamlet ‘is fat and scant of breath’ (5.2.287). Was Hamlet fat, we may ask, as we recall the more memorable Hamlets, cinematic and dramatic? It depends, some … Read more…

Life of Breath collaborator Elspeth Penny writes about her experience facilitating a “Letter to my Breath” workshop at Barton Hill Settlement in Bristol as part of Fun Palaces 2018… It’s like a present when I’m invited to run a workshop, … Read more…

As part of the Fun Palaces campaign in October this year, Life of Breath collaborated with local Bristol artist Sophie Rae and the children of Shirehampton Primary School to create a breathing-themed mural. Sophie writes about the 5 days she … Read more…

Life of Breath collaborator Dr. Megan Wainwright introduces her new paper “Exploring ambivalent human-oxygen technology-world relations through the lens of Postphenomenlogy” published in the Journal of Material Culture as part of a special issue on Ambivalent Objects in Global Health (Eds. … Read more…

A new book on phenomenology and illness entitled Existential Medicine: Essays on Health and Illness is now out, with a chapter by Life of Breath Principle Investigator Havi Carel and PhD student Tina Williams. The book’s editor, Professor Kevin Aho, is the author of Existentialism: An Introduction, Heidegger’s … Read more…

The Life of Breath project was delighted to host Professor Lundy Braun in Bristol recently to speak at our bi-annual team meeting “Breathing Space” along with a special public lecture. Life of Breath researcher Coreen McGuire reflects on Lundy’s visit… … Read more…

Tina Williams and Havi Carel have contributed a chapter on breathlessness to this new essay collection which explores the experience of illness, ‘what it means’ and ‘what it feels like’ to be ill. Read more about this volume on our blog … Read more…

In this book chapter, Havi considers breathlessness from a phenomenological perspective, reframing it as an existential, social, personal, cultural and psychological phenomenon, rather than a medical symptom. (Read more about the book on our blog). Havi Carel. 2018. Invisible Suffering: … Read more…

Music & Mindful Yoga Therapist Kate Binnie joined Life of Breath as a researcher in January 2018. She writes: I am delighted and honoured to be officially part of the LoB team at Bristol! How I found LoB I stumbled … Read more…

The Life of Breath team, like our colleagues at Breathe Oxford, recently responded to the proposal that defining chronic breathlessness as a syndrome might raise awareness of its impact on people’s lives. We stress that more consultation with ‘experts-by-experience’ (patients who experience … Read more…

Recently it was proposed that defining chronic breathlessness as a syndrome might raise awareness of its impact on people’s lives . Our collaborators at Breath Oxford responded. Their research explores the neuroscience of breathlessness, particularly the networks that generate perceptions. They … Read more…

What do people with COPD think their lungs look like? Ideas about what is going on inside the body can influence how people present their symptoms and respond to medical treatment. In this study, anthropologist Megan Wainwright asked people with … Read more…

How do we ​accurately ​measure hearing loss? In a new paper in The British Journal for the History of Science, Life of Breath researcher Coreen McGuire​ (University of Bristol) and Jaipreet Virdi shed light on ​the career of Dr Phyllis Margaret Tookey Kerridge (1901–1940) – a pioneer … Read more…

Who makes comics about science, and why? ​Life of Breath ​Project Administrator Jordan Collver explores ​the intersection of science and art in comics with Emma Weitkamp in a new paper for The Journal of Science Communication: “Alter egos: an exploration of the perspectives … Read more…

Do you know that singing can have a positive impact on people living with a lung condition? The British Lung Foundation (BLF) is working with leading singing for lung health trainer and Music Therapist, Phoene Cave, to develop and roll out a … Read more…

Music therapist and writer Kate Binnie writes: Friday 29th September saw Oxford’s City Centre transformed by the Curiosity Carnival. This University-organised event sought to bring together researchers across fields of study to share knowledge, answer questions, and interact in creative ways with … Read more…

New Life of Breath post-doctoral researcher Coreen McGuire introduces her research: Last seen fleeing the scene of the crime, the suspect was a white male in his mid-40s and was approximately 5’9, of a somewhat stocky build… This is the way … Read more…

Some may wonder why our project includes the consideration of medieval thoughts and practices relating to the breath. What can studying them possibly offer modern medicine? In a special edition of the journal postmedieval two of our project team, Prof Corinne … Read more…

Closing date: 21 June 2017 The Life of Breath team at the University of Bristol are recruiting a postdoctoral research associate in history of medicine. The post, offered for 2 years, could examine the recent history of COPD, which has not … Read more…

Artist Caroline Wright writes: Earlier this year, a two-day project called Space to Breathe took place at Somerset House in London, a building that is located in one of the most highly polluted areas of the city. Commissioned by the … Read more…

Dr Megan Wainwright is an international collaborator on the Life of Breath project. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Cape Town (Division of Social and Behavioural Sciences, School of Public Health and Family Medicine), and an … Read more…

Cynicism is often associated with indifference and fatalism – traits which are undoubtedly undesirable among healthcare professionals. However, in this article the authors argue that ‘healthy’ cynicism can be a valuable trait – it can form part of a protective response by physicians … Read more…